• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2022

Purpose: There is inconsistent evidence about the association between fetal nuchal cord and the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We performed a meta-analysis to investigate whether fetal nuchal cord is associated with an increased risk of ASD in offspring. Methods: Three main English databases were searched until January 2021. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess study quality. Study heterogeneity was determined using the I 2 statistic, while publication bias was assessed using Begg and Egger tests. Results are presented as odds ratios (ORs) and relative ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and were determined by a random-effects model. Results: Five articles (1 cohort, 4 case-control; 3,088 total children) were included in the present meta-analysis. Fetal nuchal cord was not a risk factor for ASD (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.66-1.57). There was homogeneity among studies that reported a risk of ASD (I²=0.0%). Conclusion: Our results showed that fetal nuchal cord is not a risk factor for ASD. Future large cohort studies should confirm this finding.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2022.05a
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• pp.394-395
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• 2022

Exergames are playing an important role in healthcare/rehabilitation. It has also been used to improve motivation among patients with reduced cognition. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of using augmented reality (AR) with game-based cognitive-motor training programs for executive function, restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in children with autism spectrum disorder. Sixteen children aged 6 -16 years were randomly allocated to the experimental group and control group. Outcome measures were performed before and after the intervention and included executive function, restricted and repetitive behavior. A satisfactory survey was conducted post-intervention. A statistically significant improvement was observed in working memory and cognitive flexibility in the experimental group (P<0.05). However, despite no statistical improvements in cognitive inhibition and four subscales of RRBs, promising changes were observed in all the subscales of the executive function and the behavioral outcomes. Parents appreciated the program and children enjoyed the interaction with the AR game-based training. The findings of this preliminary feasibility study showed that AR using Kinect v2 motion with a cognitive-motor game content can be used for children with autism. However, there is a need for conducting a large-scale study to evaluate his effectiveness on executive function and restricted and repetitive behaviors.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.153-163
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• 2018

The purpose of this research is to investigate the research trends on the clinical use of robots for children with autistic spectrum disorders. In order to understand research trends in the context of the clinical use of robots for children with ASD, recent studies on the use of robot in the educational and therapeutic intervention were examined. Critical literature review is used as research method. Recent studies of 17 articles are chosen with two filters of 1) publication years since 2009, and 2) two key-words; robot and ASD. Further, literature on research trends is scrutinized and categorized according to the kinds of robots that are used, the types of independent and dependent variables, and research methods. The result of this research indicated that recent years, the clinical use of interactive robots with children with disability has received considerable attention in light of the proven utility of educational and therapeutic intervention. Rapid progress in robotics, especially in the area of ASD, offers tremendous possibilities for innovation in treatment for children with ASD. In conclusion, this study addresses the need of further study on the implementation procedures and protocols of clinical robots that will make the adoption feasible and easy.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.4-7
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• 2024

Under the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea, the National Autism and Developmental Disorder Centers for people with developmental disabilities are gradually expanding. The headquarters of the National Autism and Developmental Disorder Center provides support for education, training, and research, and several centers have been effectively operating since 2020. This study aimed to provide practical recommendations and guidelines for specialists such as clinical psychologists, child psychiatrists, allied professionals, community workers, and related administrators. It was developed as a guideline to promote early diagnosis, provide important information on integrated treatment, and assist people with developmental disabilities in Korea to make the best decisions for their quality of life.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.187-195
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• 2014

Objectives : The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests (RRBI) and autistic symptoms in Korean high functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children and to examine the structure of RRBI. Methods : Participants included 147 high functioning ASD subjects and 181 unaffected siblings. ASD subjects were divided into two groups based on the presence of RRBI. The domain scores of the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R), Korean version of Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale and total scores of Korean translated version of Social Responsiveness Scale, Korean version of Social Communication Scale were used for comparison of ASD symptoms between the groups. Eleven items from the RRBI domain of the K-ADI-R were used in principal axis factor analysis (PAF). Results : A statistically lower nonverbal IQ score was observed for ASD with RRBI than for ASD without RRBIs, and more social deficit, communication deficit, and behavioral and emotional problems were observed for ASD with RRBI compared to ASD without RRBI. Using PAF, two distinct factors were identified. 'Resistance to trivial changes in environment', 'Difficulty with minor changes in personal routine & environment', and 'Compulsion/ritual' were included as one factor. Conclusion : Analysis of the data suggests that the presence of RRBI in high functioning ASD is associated with a more severe presentation of autistic disorder. In addition, there appears to be heterogeneity within RRBI in autism except insistence on sameness.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2012

Objectives : Urocanase domain containing 1 (UROC1) has never been studied in prior studies on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). UROC1 causes urocanic aciduria, one of the symptoms of which is mental retardation. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the UROC1 gene and ASDs in a Korean population. Methods : A total of 258 control and 214 patients with ASD were used as subjects of this study. SNPs selected from UROC1 were genotyped using Illumina Golden-Gate Genotyping assay with VeraCode$^{(R)}$ technology. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS and Plink software. Results : We found no association of the 12 SNPs in the UROC1 gene with ASDs in a Korean population. Conclusion : Our study suggests that the 12 SNPs (11 SNPs and 1 SNP in the intron and 3'UTR region, respectively) in the UROC1 were not associated with ASDs in a Korean population. Further study on the exon region of UROC1 is needed.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2018

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of depression and anxiety on treatment response of social skills training in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Methods : A total of 107 teenagers that participated in the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS$^{(R)}$) between 2011 and 2015 were analyzed using linear regression. Outcome measures used were the Korean version of Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), the Test of Adolescent Social Skills Knowledge-Revised (TASSK-R), and the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (K-ADOS). Depression and anxiety were assessed by the Korean version of Child Depression Inventory (CDI), the Korean version of State and Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), and the Korean version of Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL). Results : As a result, depressive symptoms measured by CDI (p<0.05) and anxiety symptoms measured by STAIC (p<0.05) had significant influence on score change of social interaction domain of ADOS. It remained significant even after the baseline score was adjusted as covariates (p<0.05). Conclusion : We observed that pre-treatment anxiety and depressive symptoms of teenagers had significant effects on the treatment outcome of PEERS$^{(R)}$, especially in terms of face-to-face social interaction.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.131-140
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• 2021

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to systematically review the studies on the effects of social story intervention on the individuals with autism spectrum disorders(ASD) to provide the basis for evidence-based practice. Methods : In order to find out the studies on the effect of social story intervention on individuals with ASD, studies published from 2011 to December 2020 were searched on Google Academic Search. The keywords used were "autism spectrum disorder AND social story". A total of 16,900 studies were searched, and from these, 12 studies were selected based on the application of the selection and exclusion criteria. The included studies comprised of 10 single subject design studies and 2 randomized controlled trials design studies. The included studies were analyzed in accordance to population, intervention, outcome measures and results. Results : As a result of analysing the subjects of the included studies, we found out that pre-school children and adolescents were the most common groups of individuals diagnozsed with ASD. In addition to ASD, the diagnosis of the subjects included intellectual disability, Asperger, and Prader-willi. We found out that there were more interventions that were mixed with other interventions, than just the pure social story interventions. In particular, video modeling was found to be the most frequent intervention. This was followed by photo-based social stories. For outcome measure, autism social skills profile was found to be the most often used standardized assessment. For a non-standardized assessment, social desired behavior was found to be the most frequently evaluated behavior, followed by personal problem behavior. Of all the dependent variables, the dependent variable reported as "effective" was the most, followed by "some effective". Conclusion : This study is organized to help the individuals with ASD, families, researchers, and therapists understand the effects of social story intervention on the individuals with ASD in an easy fashion. Further, therapists can use this study as the basic data for evidence-based practice.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2011

Purpose: To investigate the clinical characteristics of late-onset epilepsy combined with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the relationship between certain types of electroencephalography (EEG) abnormalities in ASD and associated neuropsychological problems. Methods: Thirty patients diagnosed with ASD in early childhood and later developed clinical seizures were reviewed retrospectively. First, the clinical characteristics, language and behavioral regression, and EEG findings of these late-onset epilepsy patients with ASD were investigated. The patients were then classified into 2 groups according to the severity of the EEG abnormalities in the background rhythm and paroxysmal discharges. In the severe group, EEG showed persistent asymmetry, slow and disorganized background rhythms, and continuous sharp and slow waves during slow sleep (CSWS). Results: Between the two groups, there was no statistically significant difference in mean age (P=0.259), age of epilepsy diagnosis (P=0.237), associated family history (P=0.074), and positive abnormal magnetic resonance image (MRI) findings (P=0.084). The severe EEG group tended to have more neuropsychological problems (P=0.074). The severe group statistically showed more electrographic seizures in EEG (P=0.000). Rett syndrome was correlated with more severe EEG abnormalities (P=0.002). Although formal cognitive function tests were not performed, the parents reported an improvement in neuropsychological function on the follow up checkup according to a parent's questionnaire. Conclusion: Although some ASD patients with late-onset epilepsy showed severe EEG abnormalities, including CSWS, they generally showed an improvement in EEG and clinical symptoms in the longterm follow up. In addition, severe EEG abnormalities tended to be related to the neuropsychological function.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.153-160
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• 2010

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prenatal, perinatal, and infancy history of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to unaffected siblings (SIB) and typically developing children (TC). Methods: Subjects with ASD, their SIB, and TC were recruited. All subjects were assessed using both the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R) and the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (K-ADOS) and were subsequently identified as affected or unaffected. Prenatal, perinatal, and infancy history was obtained from the primary caregivers and each facet was compared in those with ASD, the SIB, and the TC groups using SPSS ver. 17.0 (p<.05). Results: 70 individuals with ASD (63 males, 87.94${\pm}$37.8months), 53 SIB (27 males, 85.4087.94${\pm}$48.06 months), and 32 TC (19 males, 104.1987.94${\pm}$23.409 months) were analyzed. The ASD group showed significantly higher rates of insufficient vaccination as they aged age ($x^2$=15.54, p=.000). Among the scheduled vaccinations, the DPT vaccination ($x^2$=10.08, p=.006) was insufficient in ASD groups. The ASD group also showed higher rates of sleep disturbances from infancy. Differences in maternal/paternal age at conception, gestational age, and growth parameters at birth were not significantly difference among the three groups. Conclusion: These results do not support the previous controversies regarding the relationship between prenatal/perinatal complications and ASD. However, these results indicate that perinatal and prenatal factors may contribute to the development of ASD.